Breakthrough Builders Against the Current: Bruce Smith @ Hydrow
Bruce Smith peered into the future and saw a different path for rowing—one that transcended old perceptions of the sport: that rowing on water is for the rich, and rowing in the gym is for Type A personalities with something to prove. And that vision led him to create Hydrow, an immersive in-home rowing experience unlike anything that the world had seen before.
In his talk with Jesse, Bruce describes his entrepreneurial journey, starting with setting up shop in Boston and how the city proved to be both a fitting backdrop and a powerful catalyst for early growth. He gives an insider’s look at rowing culture and how it led him to pursue a more inclusive path. He breaks down his company’s process for designing machinery, software, and content synchronously. He advocates for rowing’s holistic health benefits. And he offers a peek into how Hydrow was able to develop its now-patented approach for broadcasting content live from the water. Throughout, it’s an inspiring look at how an insider disrupted the status quo to bring a beautiful human experience to everyone.
(3:28) Launching Hydrow in Boston
(6:21) Why in-home rowing needed, and deserved, a deeper connection to on-water rowing
(8:50) “The best things in life should not be reserved for elites.”
(15:45) Building the machine, software, and content in parallel
(22:32) Ripples of the future: what lies ahead for live outdoor reality
(27:16) Navigating a successful omni-channel strategy
(31:11) Safeguarding the mission to create the most beautiful human experience
Guest Bio
Bruce Smith is a lifelong entrepreneur and an accomplished rower and coach. A former Head of the Charles winner, Bruce coached the US Lightweight Eight to a Bronze medal at the 2015 World Rowing Championships. He is the former Executive Director of Community Rowing – Boston. He holds a BA in English Literature and Theory from McGill University.
Helpful Links
Commercial: The Best Indoor Rowing Machine Experience
Bruce’s interview with Forbes
The mental fitness boost of rowing
Bruce on LinkedIn
Also check out: Jesse’s conversation with Steve Schwartz, Founder of The Art of Tea